Daily updates of Gunnison Sage-grouse at the Waunita Watchable Wildlife Site

Monday, April 29, 2019

Good morning!

Saturday 4/27
Early in the morning, around 6:15 am, three Golden eagles were seen flying over the North Meadow and the East Ridge. 10 unknown birds were flushed from the top of the East Ridge and flew south and over the ridge when the eagles flew over. The Golden eagles stayed sitting on the ridge for the rest of the morning. 2 males were seen on top of the ridge later in the morning. 1 male and 1 female were seen in the North Meadow but not seen again after early morning.
14 birds total, 3 males, 1 female, 10 unknown

Sunday 4/28
The weather was cloudy and there was a light drizzle throughout the morning. Our volunteers saw 4 males throughout the morning.

Monday 4/29
This morning was overcast and a temperature of 36°F. At 6:08 am, a coyote was seen in the North Meadow, heading into the thick row of willows. One minute later, 11 birds were flushed (I'm guessing from the coyote!) and flew to the west. 4 males were identified, but the rest were unknown. After this, there were no more birds viewed in the North Meadow for the rest of the morning. At 7:00 am, 1 male was seen on the top of the East Ridge, and about 30 minutes later, a total of 3 males were seen on top of the ridge. We saw a total of 14 birds this morning...much better than the last few days!

It is getting later in the season, and we are seeing fewer females. Once they have bred, they move to their breeding site, and stay there throughout the rest of the summer. The males will stick around the lek for a longer period of time, in case any females show up later in the season, which is why we are seeing more males than females.

Many elk have been seen on the East Ridge and North Meadow. They don't seem to bother the grouse, and are fun to watch!